


Checkbook of evidence

by Arienhod



Series: Plot bunny farm [6]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-10
Updated: 2016-02-10
Packaged: 2018-05-19 15:04:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5971300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arienhod/pseuds/Arienhod
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three checks. Three million dollars.<br/>The last thing Thea expected to find out after coming across Moira's checkbook.<br/>The last thing Felicity expected to find out after doing a search on Samantha Clayton.<br/>The last thing Oliver expected to find out after returning from Central city.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Checkbook of evidence

Thea cursed slightly as a box containing her mother's personal items fell down, the items that were stored inside spilling all over the concrete floor of the storage room. So much for successfully pulling out the box underneath it, the box that contained the family's personal photo albums.

She sighed, this was the last time she volunteered to do Oliver a favor. For a moment she even considered leaving the things as they are and just take the box she came for. But those were her mother's things; items that were important to her, items Oliver helped her pack and store to a safe place.

Picking up the fallen box and setting it up straight Thea started to pick up seemingly unimportant items. A planer that contained dates and times of the social events she planed, a wooden figuring she got during her honeymoon with Walter, a photo frame of the entire family before the island that used to be on her desk in the study back at the mansion. She thought she managed to pick everything up when a small black leather book in the far corner caught her attention.

Opening it she realized it was Moira Queen's personal check book, one she used only to write donation checks for charities.

The first few pages were for notes, and in her mother's clean handwriting Thea could read which charities received help. The first mark was written over ten years ago, before the Gambit sunk, and it was for founding of CNRI in Glades.

Several lines below she noticed a check was written for a person, rather then a charity, and that surprised her. Especially since she had no idea who Samantha Clayton was. The same name was written on the next page, and for the same sum of money.

Instantly Thea started to frown, not understanding why her mother would pay an unknown woman two million dollars withing the same year. The little mark next to it confirmed the checks were cashed in, and that made her even more curious.

Luckily she knew someone who could help her solve this mystery.

* * *

"Was there a Queen college tuition program?" was the first thing Felicity asked after Thea showed her the checkbook.

The younger woman shrugged, "Not that I heard of it. But even if it was we're talking about two million dollars. That's way too much to be college tuition, right?"

"College costs around 45 thousand dollars per year. Plus additional costs like board and books. So... hmm."

"What?" Thea asked as Felicity turned the page and frowned at what she saw, "Did you find something else?"

"Another check written to Samantha Clayton in 2007. That's another one million, but this one wasn't cashed in. Or at least it wasn't marked as such."

The brunette suddenly stood up, walked to the dining table where Felicity set up a small home office, and grabbed her laptop. She placed it in Felicity's lap and waved at it, "Do your thing."

Her future sister-in-law just laughed, "Are you sure?"

"It's going to bug me until I find out the truth. And don't even try and claim you aren't even slightly interested."

Felicity shrugged, with a small smile said, "Mysteries are meant to be solved." and opened her laptop.

"Do you have some snacks?" Thea asked after only a few minutes. She was bored since there was nothing she couldn't do to help.

Felicity suddenly looked at her, her blue eyes wide in shock, and mumbled, "Get ice cream from the fridge. We're going to need it."

"Did you find something already? That was fast." instead of going to the kitchen section she moved to the different couch so she could look at the screen over Felicity's shoulder, "What did you find? Who is she?"

"Mother of Oliver's son." Felicity dropped the bomb without sugarcoating it. There was no way she could have made things sound not so bad anyway.

Thea remained silent, she just watched Felicity hack into a database after a database. Until she finally got into Central city street surveillance and looked for the camera closest to the address she had on miss Clayton.

It was fortunate, or maybe unfortunate depending on who are you asking, that the city installed the camera on the intersection directly opposite of the place of residence they were looking for after several parents complained about speeders almost running over kids on their way to school.

"The house is nice. And there are two cars out front." Thea pointed out.

Felicity zoomed in as much as she could towards the house and the camera's live feed gave her a clear view of a man walking out through the front door, closely followed by a woman and a boy. Behind her Thea cursed.

She recognized him as well. How could she not.

She was related to him after all.

"Thea..."

"I'm going to get that ice cream now. And call for takeout... it's going to be a long wait." she suddenly turned towards Felicity, "Should we call the others? Let them know what we found?"

"After, I want to hear what Oliver has to say first."

* * *

When Oliver Queen entered the loft the first thing he noticed was a coffee table filled with empty takeout packages from three different places, and two empty ice cream boxes. And behind it, on the couch, his sister and fiance sat side by side.

And they were angry.

"Is this some kind of intervention? Did I do something wrong?" he asked jokingly.

But Thea, who didn't see anything funny in what she found out today, asked, "I don't know, Ollie? Did you?"

"What is this about?" he dropped his jacket on the opposite couch and sat down, the table between them.

"Samantha and William Clayton." Felicity answered shortly, and watched as Oliver suddenly sat up straighter.

For Oliver it was like a slap, hearing the woman he loves say those names, her voice clearly revealing her anger. Her sadness. She believed he betrayed her, he knew that was what was running through her mind, and he didn't blame her. He just hoped they will give him a chance to explain.

He was forced to gave Samantha his word, promise he won't reveal William's existence to anyone. But the cat was out of the bag. They knew.

"How did you found out?" he asked, and then flinched. He was well aware those were the wrong words, but it was too late.

But the two women just shared a look and decided to show him some mercy. Thea lifted a black leather notebook looking thing item and waived it slightly, before once more dropping it in her lap.

"That's mom checkbook, one she used for donation checks. You packed it in the box together with other personal items when you cleaned out the mansion. I found it by accident, and noticed something in it I wasn't expecting. Among the names of different charities was a personal name, and the amount mom gave her."

"Samantha Clayton." Oliver said with a nod, "She told me mom gave her a check. Showed it to me."

"Checks." Felicity said, and he looked at her in confusion, "Not _a_ check... checks. Three to be more precise. But we'll get to that later. But first... When and how? And why?"

He knew what she asked, and he knew he owed her an explanation. To both of them. Because William was Thea's nephew, her only remaining family member apart of him. She deserved to know about him. So he ignored the question that burned on his tongue and started to explain instead.

"I found out by some strange coincidence when we were in Central city... when we followed Vandal Savage there. I got DNA confirmation that he's mine and confronted Samantha. And she explained to me what happened, although it seems she didn't tell me the whole story considering what you just said about the checks... and she made an ultimatum..." Oliver leaned forward, placed his elbows on his knees, and bowed his head, "She would only allow me to meet him if I kept his existence a secret. From everyone."

"We are not just anyone, Oliver!" Thea shouted, "I am your sister! And Felicity is a woman you plan to marry, the woman that would legally become the kids step-mother... breathe, Felicity." she ended up muttering when the blonde woman looked at her completely startled by her words. It seemed that thought didn't cross her mind until Thea mentioned it.

"I know, and I am so sorry I didn't say anything. But the thought of not getting to meet him, now that I knew he existed..."

"I traced down her bank account and compared it to your mother's." Felicity opened her laptop that was on the side-table, "First check was cashed in shortly after Samantha moved to Central city, she used the money to buy the house and furniture. Second was cashed in shortly after William was born. Both checks were for one million dollars."

"She showed me a check with mom's signature. She didn't cashed it, said she didn't want the money."

"Actually, it's the completely opposite." Thea muttered under her breath, but her brother heard her anyway.

"I checked Samantha's e-mail accounts and phone records..." Felicity took a deep breath, she had a feeling Oliver won't be happy with what she had to say next, "Shortly after the Gambit sunk and you were pronounced dead she contacted a family law lawyer in Central city. In the e-mail she asked him if William, as your son, has any rights on your trust fund and how she could get access to it."

"Mom found out." Thea pitched in, "Cause she's mom, and he always finds out. And she contacted Samantha herself. She wrote that uncashed check shortly afterward."

"According to the lawyer William was entitled to 85% of your trust, but Samantha never tried anything after that first inquiry. My guess is, and I'm basing it on a phone call Samantha received from your mother's number, your mother threatened she'll file for custody over William. As his grandmother she could, it's not an everyday thing, but she was Moira Queen, so..."

"She could have given him my entire trust fund." Oliver said with a sigh.

"Mom did something though." Thea reached over the coffee table and took his hand, making him look up into his sister's eyes, "She made a college fond for him. One no one could touch apart from him. And there is enough money there for him to go to any school in the country and abroad. Heck, he could go to four colleges like his dad." she finished with a smirk and Oliver laughed, relieved that his sister didn't seem so angry anymore.

But that didn't mean Felicity was in a forgiving mood too.

Seeing him looking at her, his blue eyes clearly showing his remorse, Felicity sighed, "You asked me to marry you, to spend the rest of my life with you, and our marriage would have started with a secret you never planed to share with me."

"I wanted to, Felicity. I wanted to so badly. I begged her to let me tell you... but she made it quite clear if I told anyone I won't get to spend time with William."

"So the boy knows you are his father?" Felicity asked, and when Oliver sadly shook his head, snapped her laptop with way too much force, and then winced. She was upset, and she was taking it out on inanimate objects and Oliver.

"Who does he think you are?" Thea asked.

"His mom's old friend." Oliver responded.

The women shared a look, much like they did when he first came in, and they both leaned back on the couch side by side. Their eyes watched him closely and for a moment Oliver felt like he was once more in the principal's office, only this time his mom won't come to get him out of trouble. This time she was the one who got him in trouble. Her, and his own stupid choices to sleep around.

"Damian Darkh is dead, the city is safe. There is no reason why William couldn't visit. Well apart from his mother blackmailing you." Thea pointed out, "I want to meet my nephew."

Oliver turned towards Felicity, he wanted to hear what she had to say. She was the one he wanted to spend his life with, the one who would be his son's step-mother, like his sister pointed out earlier.

"He is a part of you... and there isn't a apart of you that I don't love." she said with a smile as bright as the diamond on her finger, "But the question is what do you want to do? You are the only one who has the right to-"

"I'll do everything necessary for my son to meet his family. His entire family."

**Author's Note:**

> I was going to work on the next chapter of 'Burning heart' but this plot bunny came out of nowhere and refused to leave me alone.  
> And it brought along a friend, so another one-shot is coming soon.


End file.
